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Recent improvements in speech technology have made synthetic speech a viable form of system feedback. However, little is known about the effects of various speech parameters on speech intelligibility and system performance. Experiment 1 examined the effect of situational context clues and speech rate on synthesized speech intelligibility. Subjects who received pragmatic context information prior to each message had transcription error rates 50% lower than those who received no context information. Speech rates of 250 words per minute (wpm) yielded significantly more transcription errors and longer response latencies than rates of 180 wpm. In Experiment 2 the effects of speech rate, message repetition, and location of information in a message were examined. Transcription accuracy was best for messages spoken at 150 or 180 wpm and for messages repeated either twice or three times. Words at the end of messages were transcribed more accurately than words at the beginning of messages. Subjective ratings indicated that subjects were aware of errors when incorrectly transcribing a message even though no feedback was provided.

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A study employing twenty male and eleven female subjects was performed to determine maximum hand grip torque that can be exerted during tightening or loosening of circular electrical connectors. A static, sustained three-second exertion was used as the strength criterion.Torque was applied to simulated connector rings with diameters of 0 . 9 , 1.5, and 2 . 0 inches and measured by means of a single-bridge torsional load cell. Other variables tested included the type of grip employed (full or fingertip), orientation of the connector (front, right side, or rear facing behind a barrier), the use of work gloves and chemical defense gloves, the height of the connectors (60% and 85% of the maximum reach height) and the direction of rotation. Hand grip torque strength was found to be directly related to connector diameters, with similar strength patterns exhibited for tightening and loosening. Higher torque was exerted when the connectors were on the subject's right side, and tightening and loosening effort corresponded to flexing and extending the wrist parallel to the forearms. The use of gloves resulted in higher torque in most situations. little effect on torque strength.Connector height and direction of rotation had